George R.R. Martin on the Dance With Dragons delays

George R. R. Martin responds to the criticisms surrounding the delay of A Dance With Dragons:

For the record, I have never lied about anything having to do with A Dance With Dragons or the series as a whole. I have been wrong, yes. I have been wrong lots of time, especially when I’ve tried to predict how long it will take me to complete the book, or when it will be published. Being wrong is not the same as lying. Since the very beginning of this series, I have been guilty of being over-optimistic about how long it would take me to finish the next book, the next chapter, or the series as a whole. I cannot deny that. I have always been bad with deadlines… one reason why I did my best to avoid them for the first fifteen years of my career. That’s an option I no longer have, however. Or at least will not have until A Song Of Ice And Fire is complete.

He’s shooting for a completion date of June, which means the book will be published in September or October. Sure, I’d like to have the book sooner rather than later, but I’d rather wait a few more months and have a really good book. Besides, at the rate I’m going, I won’t have time to read A Dance With Dragons until this fall anyways.

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